Organisers Shooting For Bigger And Better

Newcastle Herald

Tuesday December 16, 2008

By JOSH LEESON and BRETT KEEBLE

ORGANISERS hope the success of the National Schools Basketball Tournament held in Newcastle, Maitland and Lake Macquarie last week will attract more Hunter schools when the region hosts the tournament again next December.

Almost 150 teams representing schools from around Australia competed in 19 divisions, including the elite boys' and girls' championship grades, at Broadmeadow, Maitland and Gateshead.

"We considered the week was a great success at all three centres, and it bodes well for next year when we hope it will be even bigger and better," Newcastle Basketball general manager Ivan Spyrdz said.

"I'm sure we'll see even more local schools involved next year and we're going to survey all the participating schools next month to get their feedback and see what we can do to improve the overall running of the tournament in 2009."

? Newcastle and Muswellbrook were the two Hunter high schools that won an NSBT title last week.

Sophie Kleeman top-scored with 28 points and Samantha Durdevic added 14 as Newcastle High won the senior girls' division four title with a 53-39 victory over Sydney's Redlands College in the final at Broadmeadow on Friday. Redlands beat Newcastle 45-32 in the preliminary rounds a day earlier.

Muswellbrook, led by Samuel Huggins's 33 points and Jesse Mepham's 11, pipped St Joseph's Ferntree Gully (Victoria) 58-55 in the junior boys' division four final at Maitland on Friday.

St Mary's, Gateshead finished second in the junior boys' division three after a 61-46 loss to St Joseph's Nudgee (Queensland) in the final at Maitland on Friday.

Warners Bay were third in junior girls' division four, All Saints College, Maitland took bronze in junior boys' division three, Lambton High were fourth in senior boys' division two and Hunter Sports finished fourth in senior girls' division three.

? Maitland Public School finished runners-up in the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association girls' cricket knockout after recording six consecutive victories.

The semi-final and final were both held on Tuesday at Maitland Park. Maitland Public scored a three-wicket semi-final win over the South Coast's Illaroo Road.

Liz Varley proved the star for Maitland in the semi, top-scoring with 10 and taking four wickets in one over, including a hat-trick.

In the final, Maitland ran into a red-hot Wellington, who rolled the home side for 18 and passed the total in three overs for a 10-wicket win.

? Merewether's Liam Speers has earned himself a spot in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival after excelling at this month's Pacific Schools Games in Canberra.

The Newcastle Grammar student won gold with a throw of 17.62 metres in the under-16 shot put at the games, which doubled as the Australian All Schools Championship.

He also took home bronze medals in the javelin (56.91m) and discus (50.47m).

The results qualified Speers for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney from January 14 to 18.

Other Hunter athletes to succeed in athletics in Canberra were Warners Bay High's Damian Hart, who won the triple jump, and hammer throw silver medallist Jared Dailey, from Edgeworth.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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